Fides
by Hannahmayski
Summary: Zuko finds his home on the open seas. (AU. Ozai never told Zuko to find the avatar and he spends his days at sea with Iroh and his crew)
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Zuko finds his home on the open seas.**

 **Yo so AU where Ozai doesn't tell Zuko to capture the Avatar and he ends up travelling the world with Iroh and his crew and they're all one small weird family but they love each other very much**

 **Also they always sing (but especially on music night) but there are some songs that none of them can remember the lyrics to so they made them up and it sounds awful and doesn't really rhyme properly and none of them can sing but they're just a bunch of fugitive sailors so who cares**

 **(sometimes a family is a retired tea-loving general, a sad teenager, a grumpy lieutenant and a few rag-tag sailors)**

* * *

Jee breathes in the fresh air, aborting it midway through as he snorts, reading through the next line of his scrawl on the spare piece of parchment he'd found last night. In their intoxicated and hazed minds he and Zuko, their Captain, had devised what their next travel plans would be.

"Captain," he calls out, trying to breathe through the chuckles. The directions say that they can travel to Mo Ce Sea in under a _week_ from where they are - the western point of the old air nomad land of the Northern Air temple, White Mountain Bay.

"We drank it _all,"_ Zuko marvels a little over to the side, holding up the empty bottle to the sun. The seas had been rough, and they were all exhausted. 'We'll have a few glasses' Jee remembers Zuko saying. 'We don't know when we'll be able to stock up again, so we have to be careful.'

Jee and Zuko hadn't gone overboard in their drinking… the problem was they drank all they _had_ and dragged the rest of the crew down with them. It was a fun night, Jee thinks. Zuko had finally loosened up a little after a close encounter with a Fire Navy vessel that housed none other than Admiral Zhao had left him tense as all hell.

Although, Jee doesn't blame him. Zhao's been hunting them – specifically the _traitor prince_ for the last year relentlessly. Zuko's got the biggest bounty on his head out of the lot of them and understandably so.

The General is the next one on the list, but Zuko was the crowned prince, the next in line to the throne. There's a difference between _exiled_ and _fugitive._ A big difference. One that leaves them in constant danger.

But now… now that Jee's been able to understand what led Zuko to being exiled in the first place and see the world for what it is truly is he can't find it in him to regret it. Ozai – their supposed immaculate Fire Lord burnt his own son for speaking out of turn. Their beloved country has ruined the lives of millions and when Zuko saw this with his own eyes, he couldn't bear it.

Jee doubts he would have done anything if it were up to him alone. He would have claimed it's easier to turn one's eyes away and feign ignorance, but when he realised that Zuko was determined to do something about the pain and the suffering… it wasn't exactly hard to get Jee to join him on his crusade.

Zuko had suffered at the same hands the rest of the world had, and Jee is sure that was the ticket to getting Zuko to abandon his country. The scar on Zuko's face is a constant reminder of how little his father cares.

Ozai wasn't letting Zuko go home, so Zuko made himself a new home, out on the open seas. Jee never would have pictured himself travelling the world, liberating small towns and drinking with the ex-prince of the Fire Nation. But now that he's living it, he's sure he wouldn't want anything else.

His captain, despite being young, earned the title and the crew's trust and companionship through hard work. Everyone on their vessel now was there of their own free will, as per Zuko's orders, and that was the first major moment Jee realised Zuko was far from a kid anymore, far from ignorant and far from the prince he used to be.

"Why do our drunk selves insist on devising the most ambitious, impossible travel plans," Jee asks to the air, rough snorts becoming full blown laughter as he doubles over.

Zuko's only 16, but he can hold his liquor as well as Jee can, which makes him for fantastic company, but hurts their liquor supply to no end.

Jee had discovered Zuko's love of liquor not long after Jee had told Zuko he would stay in the ship, travelling with him. After that, Zuko slowly went from 'brat and ex-prince' to 'captain and good friend'. Zuko had looked at the bottle in Jee's hand and pointedly said: "I sure hope you were planning to share that, Lieutenant," and that's when Jee _knew._

At first, he was worried Iroh would not approve of Jee and Zuko's occasional drinking nights, but the General merely joined in, which led to weekly entertainment nights. Alcohol would be consumed, instruments would be played and horrifically off-tune music would be sung and Jee would mull over it in the morning, thinking how banishing Zuko turned him into the finest young man Jee knew.

(To anyone looking in, Jee knows they'd truly look like they'd all been sailors since the day they were born).

Sato stumbles out of one of the tents, holding his head and squinting at the sun as though it's very existence has deeply offended him.

"Sato!" Zuko calls, his voice breaks halfway through and Jee dissolves into a mess of laughter once again, ignoring Zuko's weak, half-hearted glare.

"Sato," Zuko repeats, approaching the man and clamping his hands on his shoulders. "Please tell me we didn't drink all the liquor," he asks as if he doesn't already know the answer

Sato squints again, looking dazed. "Uh. I uh. I don't even _know,_ sir. _"_

"At least we didn't try and board the ship and sail away," Jee says once he's breathing is under control again.

Zuko guides Sato over to sit up against one of the rocks. "We planned it so thoroughly as well," Zuko says, as a small wiry grin eats up his face, "I calculated the coal use, food and water all down to the spoonful."

He looks up at the sky and notes the position of the sun, sighing heavily. "I don't know why I'm surprised," he says.

Jee snorts as he rifles through one of their bags and pulling out breakfast supplies.

It's a rare moment they all have fun and let loose, with the world in the state that it's in, they have to be on their toes at all time, especially considering they're a vessel full of _Fire Nation fugitives_. Being on the Fire Nation's hitlist isn't that hard to achieve, but being a fugitive and being from the _Fire Nation_ is a whole other ball game. Plus, Zuko and Iroh aren't exactly nobodies either.

They're a Fire Nation vessel full of rough sailors, who also happen to be traitors. Every encounter with another Fire Nation vessel, they're risking capture and torture and ultimately death. They have all the hallmarks of an abducted vessel, the Earth and Water flags fluttering in the breeze and their crew's choice of wardrobe being Earth Kingdom garb to the scratched off registry numbers on her bow.

Jee knows the risks, but he's prepared to take them.

Their a walking – or floating – enemy of the Fire Nation, and with the Fire Navy constantly expanding its exploratory territory, they can't afford to ever let their guards down.

It's a rare moment they can simply have fun. White Mountain Bay isn't the safest place to do it, but it's the safest they've encountered in far too long.

Iroh emerges next. He stares at Zuko and then slowly moves his eyes over to Jee. He lets out a little chuckle and pats his stomach like he knows something neither the Captain or the Lieutenant do. "I'm glad you two did not end up going through with that plan!" he says. Jee knows Zuko's blushing without even looking.

Travelling from White Mountain Bay to Mo Ce Sea is one of their most bizarre drunken travel plans so far. At least some of their other plans made sense, but Mo Ce Sea is further south, right from the direction they came.

Zuko meanders over to Jee, crouching down and grabs some the kindling they'd collected the night before. They haven't encountered anyone since the incident with Zhao, and on one hand, Jee's relieved, on the other hand, he's just plain nervous.

The Fire Nation is everywhere, and on the open seas, it's hard to blend in when there's no crowd to blend into.

Jee knows one day, they may have to let their ship go and start moving on foot, but he'll deal with that when it comes.

Zuko has the fire going, cradling it in his hands as the tiny flames begin to to blossom into bigger ones.

"We're close to the Northern Water Tribe," Zuko says. He doesn't look up from the flames. Jee pulls out the herbs Iroh collected around the bay upon their arrival as well as their rice and ponders Zuko's words.

"We've already touched base with the South," Jee says. "The North's military is far more advanced than the South, they might attack us, and don't have the resources to fight back."

"Fighting back would only prove to them we're enemies," Zuko says. "If they haven't heard rumours about us I'd be surprised and if we want to do anything in this war, we need to prove we're here to stay."

Jee nods along, he knows Zuko's right, but that doesn't mean it's safe. "Mo Ce Sea is sounding better and better," Jee says, his tone comes off more bitter than he intends.

"Plus," Zuko says, looking up at him and this time there's a glint in his eyes, meaning he has a plan. All of Zuko's plans are logical if a little on the reckless side. Jee finds himself intrigued, knowing this is going to be interesting.

"Remember what the old man told us at Shujing? That there were rumours the Avatar was there?" Zuko piles a few more sticks onto the Fire, glancing up and nodding at Jirou and Kazuo as they join them outside, looking as humoured as Jee felt. It was one of the best nights they'd had in a while.

"Ahh," Jee says, measuring the rice into the pot. "If we could team up with the Avatar, we might be truly able to make a difference in the war."

The old sailor at Shujing was made of leathery weathered skin and a heart filled with spite, and more secrets then all of Zuko, Iroh and the crew put together. Jee isn't sure how much he believes him, but the Northern Water Tribe _is_ the next logical point to turn regardless.

And plus, now the Avatar is confirmed to be alive, he's going to need all the allies he can get.

It's still odd to think that he's an active participant in the war - a fugitive no less, hunted by his own country. But he's watched Zuko flounder and struggle the last three years, proving himself again and again to Jee that he's the one who he wants to follow.

Jee's loyalty is to the fugitive ex-prince of the Fire Nation. His loyalty is to the man who's proved to have more compassion and determination than Jee's ever seen. If Zuko thinks the world is unjust, if Zuko thinks that it's his job to fight for it, Jee will follow him to the grave.

"Northern Water Tribe it is, Captain," Jee says.

Zuko looks at him, fire in his gaze with a renewed bout of determination he hasn't seen since Zhao came uncomfortably close to having Zuko's head on a spike and Jee knows that he made the right decision to stay.

The Fire Nation will not win this war. Not with Zuko on the enemy's side.

* * *

 **Is this extremely self-indulgent? Yes. Do I care? no.  
I will die with my sailor Zuko AU okay**

 **(I'm so sorry for any errors im so Tired)**


	2. Someday

**Summary: A bad teacher presents the truth, a good teacher helps find it.**

 **Or: Zuko was never a bad firebender, and banishing Zuko was the worst mistake Ozai ever made.**

 **errors are more likely than u think**

 **IMPORTANT QUESTION: If I write anymore do u think I should post them as separate works in the same universe (I did it like this on ao3 since they have a series option) since I'm not writing in chronological order, or should I just post them as chapters and you guys just work out what the hell I'm on about ?**

* * *

When Zuko was a prince, he learnt many things. When Zuko was royalty, there was emphasis on how he sits, how he looks, how he talks, how he breathes. Things that out on his ship didn't matter.

Growing up royalty, Zuko had learnt how to firebend. Firebending was never something Zuko was good at, having not shown sparks until he was six years old, he was already a _failure_ to his father.

But, as he had learnt and was learning on the deck of his ship, not everyone responded well to the same type of teaching. Where Azula thrived under the harsh stares of tutors, the impatient demands of _you have one more chance to get it right or I will no longer teach you,_ and the violence that followed if a mistake was made, Zuko faltered.

Azula, as uncle had told him, likely wouldn't respond well to Zuko's method of training. Firebending with the crew, practising katas slowly and methodically until he was sure of his steps and breathing.

She wouldn't respond to all the unorthodox methods Zuko has used to train, but Zuko thrived in it, so that's all that matters, Uncle had told him.

"Everyone is different," Iroh had said to him when Zuko was trying to summon a flame for the first time since his father had set his _own son's face alight. "_ And anyone who thinks someone cannot become an incredible firebender simply because he is not particularly good at the traditional ways of teaching is an imbecile."

Zuko hadn't entirely believed those words at the time but he had grasped onto them none the less.

Ozai had banished him, never to return, and all Zuko had to show for it was permanent disfigurement. Iroh's words gave him a goal, something to live for and so he held onto it with both hands.

* * *

As Zuko gets healthier and is finally able to sustain a flame for longer than just a few seconds, the next problem arises. With the sight in his left eye mangled beyond repair, he realises that he will have to re-learn how to fight from scratch.

Going back to basics makes Zuko feel entirely inadequate, embarrassed and ashamed.

"I'm the prin-" Zuko had yelled one day, after failing, again to see anything coming from his left side, flinching at Kazuo's flames and nearly losing his balance on the completely flat ground because his eye was so entirely useless. He didn't even have the excuse of rough seas. It was entirely flat.

He cuts himself off abruptly, the left side of his face is burning, searing like the flesh is actively melting off his face.

He's not a prince. Ozai revoked him of the title and sometimes, in the beginning, it would hit him like a komodo rhino and leave him breathless.

Kazuo watches him carefully and Zuko can practically see the cogs turning in his head. With no formal education, Kazuo's textbook smarts are little to none, but time had taught him that Kazuo has a heart made of gold and more emotional intelligence than Zuko could ever hope to achieve.

Kazuo falls back into a bending stance, a small, hesitant smile on his lips. "Another round, Captain?"

(At the time, Zuko hadn't really understood Kazuo's motives, but two years on, Zuko understood them perfectly. Zuko wasn't a prince, but he was their captain. It was an alternate title, another goal to focus on. He hadn't been a good prince, but Kazuo was giving him the chance to prove he was a good captain.

And Zuko had never been one to give up.)

* * *

It's Sato who comes up with the blindfold idea.

It's just over a year into Zuko's exile and slowly, somehow his entire crew had become involved in getting Zuko back to, and stronger than he was before his catastrophic injury.

Iroh is been grinning, off at the sidelines, drinking tea as Sato offers the tattered and torn sheet to Zuko. Sato is a huge, hulking figure who has the strength to lift both Lieutenant Jee and Iroh onto his shoulders without breaking a sweat.

"Your hearing is incredible sir," Sato tries to explain and Jee, shirtless and sweaty from his and Zuko's sparing, comes to stand close enough to hear the conversation. "It might be useful to learn to use it too it's full potential. Maybe, fighting when relying on your hearing will help you improve?" Sato sounds unsure, and it's possible that Zuko still unnerves him a little, which is fair and understandable but still makes old anger boil beneath his skin. he takes a deep breath, remembers Iroh's words.

 _In through the nose, out through the mouth. Ozai doesn't love him but that doesn't matter. Iroh is his family, and nothing else matters._

"Let's try it," Zuko says. He's nervous, he realises as he ties the cloth over his eyes, trying to ignore the way he can't feel the fabric on the left side of his face where the tissue has been too damaged.

He stands there for a moment before he slowly moves into one of the basic stances. "Would you help me, Sato?" Zuko asks, and he tries to hide the surprise at his own words. He wants the crew to like him, more than respect him and he doesn't know what to do or how to feel about that revelation.

He can _feel_ Iroh's smirk from the sidelines and Zuko curses Angi to all the hells. He's probably planned this somehow, that Zuko would loosen up and let people in, let people become his friends.

"Of course," Sato says and Zuko immediately backtracks, pulling down the right side of his blindfold down so he can see him. "It's not an order," he says. "Only if you want to."

Now Zuko can actually _see_ Iroh grinning like a madman in the background, Zuko vaguely wants to puke.

Sato is a nice man and for whatever bizarre reason, the thought that he might actually hate Zuko is utterly horrifying.

Sato is staring at him now, eyes wide and a smile creeping onto his face and it takes Zuko a long second to realise that his piss poor attempt at not being an asshole worked.

"Two against one?" Jee calls from behind him as Zuko pulls the blindfold back up.

"No holding back," Zuko encourages.

(By the end of the week, Zuko can take every crew member on without seeing a single thing.)

* * *

"We're not a part of the Fire Nation," Zuko says to them one day, two years into his exile and a few days after Zuko had gotten into a fight with a few Fire Nation soldiers and proceeded to accidentally liberate a small town.

They're all wearing Earth Kingdom clothing, mismatched greens moulded into something that keeps them warm and comfortable while out at sea. If anything they look closer to pirates.

Jee thinks about the Earth Kingdom people's smiling faces as they helped drive the Fire Nation troops from the area, thinks of how happy he and his crew felt and thinks about how they haven't flown a Fire Nation flag from the ship for months.

He doesn't regret a second of it.

"Technically, I have no authority over any of you," Zuko continues.

They're stopped at a port at one of the Fire Nation colonies. It's a nice town, quiet and a good place to settle down as any. Jee picks up on what Zuko is getting at a second later and the sudden sadness that strikes him is overwhelming.

The last two years have changed them all. It's opened Jee's eyes up to the true nature of his Fire Lord, opened his eyes up the world as a whole and taught him that anyone who can set his own child's face on fire is not someone Jee wants anyone to do with.

Jee isn't sure when wariness became respect and respect moulded into friendship, but it did. And if Zuko was really sending them off, Jee isn't sure what he'd do with himself.

"I have... enjoyed my time with all of you and I would even go as far to say that we were friends," Zuko's words stutter a little at that, as though saying it out loud he has made a grave mistake, but Jee can tell he means it all the same.

Jee looks at Iroh, and his lips are pressed into a thin line, but his eyes are light - sad but proud. This was Zuko's decision then. It's incredibly hard to fathom that the boy in front of him was once the selfish crown prince, that this boy, full of love and determination, was once just the bratty son of a tyrant.

"If you wish to leave, you are more then welcome to."

There is silence among the crew, but Zuko meets all their gazes one by one. He wants this for them, then. He's giving them _choice_ to choose their own life, something no one's ever bothered to ask them before but Jee knows his answer long before he opens his mouth to reply.

Jirou is the one who beats them all to it. He steps forward, lanky but heavily built frame making him the second tallest next to Sato.

"Captain," Jirou says. "With all due respect, I don't wish to be anywhere but with you and this crew."

Jee steps forward, grinning. With what Jee has seen - watching Zuko flounder the last few years, finding his footing and balance and sense of purpose and his self all over again all because of the actions of one unforgiving madman, seeing the Earth Kingdom people desperately trying to survive in their war-torn world of poverty and suffering and how Zuko was determined to actually _do something about it_ \- Jee has nothing but respect for the young, brave man before him.

Jee's been through plenty of commanding officers in his life and he doubts he'll ever meet someone like Zuko ever again.

"We're all fugitives now," Jee says, making sure to meet Zuko's eyes, to tell him that he means it. "But frankly, I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else."

Kazuo darts forward, embracing Zuko a messy, limb-tangled hug, and for the first time in a long time, Jee sees Zuko _smile._

(In another two years, Jee will look at his crew as they work the tides like they've been doing it their whole life, as Iroh watches them all carefully, like an overbearing father, look on as Zuko gives orders with easy clarity and ease and wonder when they stopped being friends and become _family._ )

* * *

Teaching Zuko the breath of life was one of the stupidest things Iroh could say he's ever done. Zuko had picked it up like a fish to water, which was exactly the problem.

Zuko swims around their anchored vessel, as though the black, icy, potentially murderous water means nothing.

Iroh found himself impressed and horrified at the same time as Zuko's stamina appeared to be beyond Iroh's comprehension. Zuko had been taking up Iroh's own personal firebending techniques based on years of watching other elements quicker than he'd ever picked up any of the traditional firebending moves, and the breath of life was one of them.

As well as firebending with swords, which was simply outrages in the eyes of traditional firebending.

Jirou watches Zuko over the edge of the bow of the ship. This is Zuko's record for how long he has been able to hold his breath for, and Iroh can see it's making Jirou, who's counting for him, a little uncomfortable.

Iroh joins him at the railing and risks looking down. Thankfully, Zuko emerges almost as soon as Iroh takes a look.

Jiroh sends him a quick glance and then turns back to Zuko.

"He's going to be one of the most powerful people in this world. He's going to achieve something great," Jirou says. It's not a question, but a statement and Iroh can't help but agree.

It'll be different from all of Zuko's forefathers, Zuko isn't about raw power that holds destruction in its wake.

Zuko's power comes in how he holds his form a little like an airbender, how his fire is less violent and pounds out of Zuko's fists with a certain calmness to it. How he can fight just as efficiently without bending, and even incorporate his bending into forms that are not meant for bending at all.

Zuko is powerful in that he can very well be a raging fire and as silent as the night. That he can swim through freezing water, navigate with nothing but the stars and empathise with people who used to be his enemy. How he can fight with his eyes closed.

Iroh watches as Zuko climbs the ladder back up the side of the boat, and can't wait to introduce him to the White Lotus, and he can not wait to see what wonderful things he will achieve, now Zuko sees what Iroh sees.

Iroh meanders over to Zuko as a rich clean billow of flames pour out of Zuko's nose as he warms himself and thinks how ironic it is, that Ozai's downfall will likely be because he couldn't see his own son's potential and thought this ragtag group of fugitives wouldn't last the year out on the open seas.

 _An imbecile,_ Iroh thinks.

* * *

 **Ya so anyway I am in love with sailor Zuko AU and I really want to write them going to the north pole and meeting the gaang and all that bc a bunch of weird, fugitive, firebenders at the North Pole and trying to fit in would be glorious. Also they help fight in the siege of the north and the entire crew bands together to teach Aang firebending, although Aang likes Zuko best bc Zuko is closer in age and will let aang cling to him like a monkey.**

 **Also bc Zuko gets his shit together way earlier, he's more chill bc he has a loving and supportive family. But he also Loves Fighting and hence accidentally kickstarted the whole fugitive thing bc he saw some Fire Nation soldiers harassing some Earth kingdom people and decided Fighting them was the best cause of action and proceeded to accidentally liberate the town with the help of the crew.**


	3. Fight Fire With Fire

_Summary: It's only a matter of time before the Fire Nation launches an attack against the Northern Water Tribe, and Zuko refuses to stand by and let it happen._

 _MMM HECK once again if there are errors im so heckin sorry fam_

 _so yeah Zuko and his crew go the Northern Water Tribe_

* * *

The Northern Water Tribe is everything Zuko had hoped and imagined it would be and more. It stands, moulded into the ice like an impenetrable fortress. But it's unlike anything he has ever seen in the Fire Nation, with the intricate carvings in the ice only perfected by waterbending masters.

He takes a breath, steam billowing out of his mouth.

"Nervous, captain?" Jee asks, tilting his head at him slightly as they pass under an intricate bridge, scared eyes of it's citizens looking down on them.

"I'm not good at… this," Zuko says, making a vague gesture to his surroundings. Talking is never been something he's been good at.

Words are complicated, powerful tools and more often than not, it seems like everyone else has a tight grip on their words, understanding their effect and implications and Zuko is left stumbling behind, picking up broken shambles of their impact in the wake of his impulsiveness.

How he convinced the crew to stay with him is a little beyond him - but then again, he thinks his actions did most of the talking.

"The general's here," Jee says, his voice is a little tense, as expected when travelling into what a few years ago would have been enemy territory, and plus, the people of the Northern Water Tribe have managed to remain entirely out of the war for so long and protected their people because of it, why would they want to change that for _them_ of all people.

"I suppose," Zuko says.

It doesn't really matter what the Northern Water Tribe want to do anymore. The Avatar is alive, and there is more and more unrest in the Earth Kingdom, as the Fire Nation's influence broadens. Something is going to happen sooner rather than later and every day the Fire Nation are expanding their territory.

Ba Sing Se and the Northern Water Tribe are the next two logical places the Fire Nation will launch an attack on and they simply _can't afford_ to try and keep their noses out of it anymore.

Zuko has come here to warn them more than anything, but also to establish rapport and hopefully build up an alliance with these people.

The Fire Nation is an organised unit of operation, and that's where they're failing. With everyone so displaced, forming a proper alliance is going to be extraordinarily difficult. When push comes to shove, which it undoubtedly will, Zuko wants to have as many connections and people on his side as possible.

* * *

Arnook sits in front of Zuko, and it's clear that once upon a time he would have been far more muscular and intimidating, but Zuko matches his height and he knows just by looking that Zuko outmatches him in terms of muscle mass. Still, the hairs on the back of Zuko's neck stand up under his scrutiny.

Iroh stands behind Zuko, ready to step in if Arnook needs more convincing. Iroh had dismissed Zuko's suggestion that he do the diplomatic talking, despite Zuko's pleading.

"Firebenders?" Arnook says, scepticism lacing every word and he raises his eyebrow, looking Zuko up and down.

Zuko takes a deep breath, trying to channel whatever confidence Uncle has in him.

"Yes," Zuko says. "But the Fire Nation sees us the enemy. Surely you've at least heard rumours of us? It's not every day that the Fire Nation spits out an entire crew of fugitives."

Arnook frowns at him, glancing back at his crew behind him.

"Why come all this way?" another man asks. His hair has long since faded to white and receded, but Zuko's met enough old men to know that age does not mean weak.

"There's unrest growing," Zuko says. "The Fire Nation is conquering more and more of the Earth Kingdom and the Southern Water Tribe is in shambles. It's you and Ba Sing Se that are the next on the Fire Nation's target. Conquering _you_ and Ba Sing Se basically secures their win."

He pauses a moment, studying the faces of the leaders before coming back to land on Arnook's. "The Fire Nation will attack, and at the end of the day, regardless of where we have come from, we're all in the same boat, Chief Arnook. If the Fire Nation wins, we all die."

Zuko glances over to where a woman snorts, turning her head from him and it strikes somewhere in Zuko's chest that just makes him furious _._

He waits until the woman turns to the front again and Zuko tilts his face, so the scar on his face is facing her and he shoots her a forced smile. Her eyes widen, and the confidence from before drains from her face.

"The Fire Lord gave me this scar," Zuko says, and he stands up a little straighter. "You all seem to have forgotten what he is capable of. If the Fire Lord is not afraid to set his son's face on _fire and cast him to the seas to die_ than what on this earth makes you think he will spare any of you an inch of his mercy."

Zuko knows that's a risky card to play, but Zuko has not travelled the world and seen it's suffering to turn away from its agony. The people of the Northern Water Tribe have had the opportunity to live in relative peace, while the rest of the world has been screaming, burning and dying.

To remain neutral is being just as immoral the Fire Nation themselves.

He watches their faces, fists clamped at his sides and the swords on his back burn into his spine. If they decide to attack, then Zuko knows he is at a disadvantage, but then again, he's been at a disadvantage since was born. This is nothing special.

Arnook's lips are pressed into a thin line and the wrinkles on his forehead crease severely.

"I had heard rumours," Arnook says, he glances at the young woman on his right - his daughter, possibly - and looks back at Zuko. "I didn't want to believe it."

"Of course," Zuko says. "But he did. Believe me when I say he will not lose a minute of sleep killing you, your family, the children and your people."

The image of his own father standing over him, a hulking figure that he never stood a chance against, the feeling of his skin setting alight, shrivelling up his face - the agony is burned into more than just his face.

In a perfect world, fathers love their children. But this is far from a perfect world.

"The Fire Nation will attack, I have been sailing the waters for the last few years, and the Fire Navy's movements are building by the day, Chief Arnook," Zuko says. "Don't you want as many allies as you can obtain for when the inevitable occurs?"

The young woman at Arnook's right is watching him carefully, her eyes pinched in sympathy. "Fighting fire with fire?" she asks.

"Precisely," Zuko says.

The chief stands up, the tension leaving him in one swift movement as he walks to stand in front of Zuko.

He extends his hand and it takes Zuko a second to work out what the Chief wants when he remembers the boy he met at the Southern Water Tribe and the way he grasped his forearm.

Zuko reaches out and doesn't bother trying to fight the grin off his face as Arnook grips his arm.

"Don't make me regret this, Prince Zuko," he says.

"I haven't been a Prince for years," Zuko says. "I am merely a sea captain, looking for freedom."

It seems to the right thing to say, as Arnook's mouth quirks in amusement.

"Tell me more about the Fire Navy movements, Captain."

"Of course," Zuko replies, and he rolls his shoulders.

Finally, Zuko thinks, they will be able to do some real damage to his nation that's torn this beautiful world to pieces.

* * *

 _YEP SO I WROTE ANOTHER THINGGGG  
also yes Zuko met Sokka at the south pole but I changed the timing so it was just before they found aang. Zuko basically just went there to be like 'yo fuck the fire nation who's with me' to show the water tribe people that not everyone from the fire nation is happy with what's happened or something you get what im saying_

 _i am super high-key excited to write Zuko's interaction with the gaang omgggg_


	4. This Is Not Another Story

_Summary: The Avatar has been missing for 100 years after all, and it's now, when an attack upon the Northern Water Tribe is practically imminent, that he appears._

 _(The Gaang arrive at the Northern Water Tribe and this changes everything)_

 _IF THERE ARE ANY ERRORS IM SO SORRY! I WROTE THIS IN ONE SITTING! I AM DOING MY BEST_

* * *

Zuko met Sokka after he and his crew had officially, in the eyes of their once home, been labelled fugitives. The change had been significantly less horrific than he'd originally assumed. Zuko thought the sea may end up being his prison, the banished prince cursed to sail the nine seas until Agni took mercy on his soul.

But now, it was as though his shackles had been released. He wasn't trying to prove himself to anyone. He was improving himself _for himself._ His actions were on the principle of his own morals, his thoughts were his and his alone. There was suddenly no proper way to sit, no proper way to tie his hair, or to wear his robes.

Zuko could drink with the crew - people he had once thought mere commoners - but he had never felt more understood in his life.

With the salty wind whipping through his short hair, the hot metal of the ship burning his feet as he spared with Kazuo on the deck and the unhindered sun pounding on his bare, tanned skin, Zuko had never felt more at home.

The decision to go to the Southern Water Tribe was an offhand suggestion made by Jee whilst he was attempting to do a handstand on the deck of the ship during one of their many music nights as a dare. At the time, Zuko had been trying to convince Iroh that it would be a spectacular time to start swimming and that the liquor coursing through his veins would have no ill effect on his swimming abilities and had not paid the suggestion much consideration.

But when Jirou had mentioned it again that morning, while handing Zuko a bowl of something that smelt far too good to exist, he considered it.

They needed the world to know the soul of the Fire Nation wasn't evil, that at the heart of it, they were just victims of a mad tyrant. Zuko needed the world to know that there are Fire Benders that have their backs.

Organising their course for the South Pole had not been a day feat, from their position in the East Nomadic Sea, they still had a ways to go, but it had turned out to be entirely worth it. By the time Zuko, Iroh, Jee and the rest of the crew had left the South Pole, Zuko felt more than confident that they'd left the Water Tribe people in good stead.

Sokka had not been one to bend easily for Zuko, and he'd challenged Zuko at every opportunity, questioning his motives until he could truly understand what had led Firebenders to betray their own. When Sokka had finally extended his arm in what Zuko had come to know as a gesture for the Water tribe that was strictly between _friends_ Zuko knew it had paid off.

Zuko rubs his hands together and squints into the distance, the sun glaring off the ice sharply. Since hearing of Sokka's arrival at the North Pole, his worry had piqued, concerned that things would have changed between them. Maturity, war and time could have forced them apart that they wouldn't be able to pick up things as easily as he did when he met him.

But, as Sokka nears him, his face split into the widest grin Zuko's ever seen, his nervousness evaporates.

Sokka extends out a hand, and Zuko reciprocates, grasping Sokka's forearm firmly, and the familiarity of the embrace has him grinning as well.

"Sokka," he says. "Awfully good timing."

Sokka's grin is just as incredible as he remembers it, and really, his arrival couldn't have been better timed, with Arnook's temporary trust hanging in the balance of Zuko's well-placed words, his familiarity and comradery with the son of the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe basically solidifies Zuko's story.

And plus, seeing old friends again is better than anything Zuko could have hoped for.

"I could say the same to you," Sokka says. He ends the handshake and pulls Zuko into a tight hug.

"I was hoping we'd run into you again, but I didn't expect to run into you here of all places." He says as he pulls back, going over to Iroh and the old man immediately catches him in a bone-crushing hug, receiving similar treatment from the rest of the crew.

A woman steps forward, her gait sure and gaze fierce. Zuko vaguely remembers her as Sokka's sister. They didn't have an opportunity to talk much at the time, and Zuko had come to learn that the roles of females and males played a far more significant role in the Water Tribes than from that of the Fire Nation, and she hadn't been involved between his and Sokka's lengthy discussion.

But she's grown a lot since then. Zuko can tell that by her gait alone, filled with confidence and a world of pressure on her shoulders.

"My name is Katara, this is my brother Sokka. We're from the South. And this," she gestures to the young monk standing behind her who waves tentatively, "Is Aang, the Avatar."

Zuko whips his head around to Sokka, but Arnook steps forward before Zuko can even begin to fathom a response. He'd imagined someone far more aged, world-weary and incredibly, terrifyingly powerful, and he hadn't imagined that Sokka and Katara were the ones travelling with him.

Arnook steps around Zuko, ignoring the harsh whispers and open stares of confusion from anyone in close vicinity, and Zuko wonders if the news even reached this far, and if it did, how convoluted had it become since Zuko had first caught the rumours of the Avatar's survival.

Each stride is more powerful than the last, his face is pulled tight, but it reveals none of his inner thoughts. He is the Chief of the Northern Water Tribe, Zuko reminds himself. He is not a man he wants to get in the way of.

He steps up close to the monk, and looks down at him.

"The Avatar?" he says, but it's more than clear that he doesn't expect an answer. He takes a careful breath and the boy meets his gaze, obviously trying his best to keep a strong facade in the face of the man's oppressive aura.

"I need to learn Waterbending. Katara has taught me all she knows, but I need to get better. We thought we could find help here," the Avatar says.

His voice is high, having not even been broken into yet. The Avatar is a _boy_ and Zuko's chest burns the more he thinks about it.

It's not odd for children to be sent off to fight even in the Fire Nation. The more the war progressed, the more hands both sides have needed, and the leaders of both sides don't seem to be losing any sleep over sending children off to fight their battles.

But still, to see the Avatar in front of him, so young and full of so much life, it ignites a painful flame in his heart.

Arnook scratches his chin, the minute tension in his shoulders fading. "I suppose we should be honoured," Arnook says. It's mildly condescending, but Zuko is willing to bet its origins are more frustration in nature.

The Avatar has been missing for 100 years after all, and it's now, when an attack upon the Northern Water Tribe is practically imminent, that he appears.

Zuko glances across to Iroh, a million thoughts running through his mind. The presence of the Avatar is good so that he can learn Waterbending and so that Zuko can make a comrade out of such an invaluable asset. However, the Fire Nation, despite their element, know the ocean like the back of their hand. The Navy is an ever-growing force to be reckoned with, and the likelihood that they somehow managed to travel from the other side of the world and not be followed is highly unlikely, making an attack on the North all the more valuable and important for his old home.

Iroh places a hand on his shoulder, and Zuko knows what he means - _later, wait until introductions are over before we bring up logistics._

Arnook sends a calculated glance at Zuko and Iroh, visibly resigning himself to accepting his new rag-tag group of unlikely comrades, before turning back to Sokka, Katara and Aang.

"You need to present your case before the council. You being the avatar does not put you above our law," Arnook's gaze meets Aang with a hardened stare, but really it's a message for Zuko and his crew more so than the boy at his feet.

At the end of the day, Zuko, Iroh, Jee, Kazuo, Sato and Jirou are still Firebenders.

It's going to take a lot more than Zuko's sweet talk to earn his trust.

Despite it all, Zuko finds himself eager to earn it.

* * *

"I don't like this," Jirou says the second that Sokka, Katara and Aang are bundled off to the council to properly decide their next actions.

Jirou runs a hand through his dark, oily hair, causing pieces to stick up at odd angles.

"I will swim three laps around the ship if the Fire Nation wasn't on their case all the way here. The kid, Sokka, has a good strategy mind, but none of those squirts have any experience in evasion," Jee grunts.

"We have a few days at the most before the Fire Nation arrives," Iroh adds, his hand resting on Zuko's back again, a comforting gesture Zuko can't help but appreciate.

Silence descends on them for a moment, as Zuko presses his lips together, thinking hard.

"Captain?" Jee asks. "What will we do?"

Zuko would preferably like to avoid combat as serious as this as much as possible. On the off chance that the Fire Nation are successful in conquering the North, not only does that mean horrifically heavy consequences for the war itself, but the Fire Nation are one step closer from wiping out the Waterbenders entirely, and Zuko and his crew will be tortured, killed or both.

Zuko's heard the rumours of what the Fire Nation does to traitors of their own kind and he's not inclined to test their validity.

He takes a deep breath. Leaving pre-maturely only confirms Arnook's and the council's underlining suspicions that they're not truly on their side and furthermore betrays Sokka's trust. Not to mention the consequences if the Fire Nation got their hands on the Avatar.

Zuko knows they have to stay. He and his crew have committed this long to their cause - to back out now would be only shameful and make all their achievements redundant. Zuko also knows that he would raise Agni herself if it means keeping his crew safe, and out of the hands of the Fire Nation.

Kazuo's careful eyes are watching him, and Zuko wouldn't be surprised if the man already knew Zuko's thoughts.

They can't leave now, but Zuko will not let them die.

"We stay," Zuko says. "We can't leave now, and the North is going to need all the help they can get. If the North falls, then all our efforts up until now would have been for nothing."

Iroh pats his back once again with far more force than necessary, and he doesn't try to stop the smile blooming at his uncle's approval. "But we need to be careful. Everyone will come through this alive even if I have to fight Agni herself."

Sato laughs, a deep, booming sound that only serves to make Zuko smile harder and Kazuo to chuckle. Jee grins fiercely at him, his way of showing his pride and Zuko knows that this is the right thing to do.

They will not let the North fall. Not now, not ever.

* * *

 _I WAS GOING TO INCLUDE MORE GAANG AND ZUKO INTERACTIONS but the way this unfolded it just didn't happen but next time I will 100% include more of them  
I realised that even though I said that Sokka and Zuko met, I realised that Katara would have had to have met him too, as I don't know where else she could have been at the time.  
GodDAMN there were a whole other bunch of things I wanted to say but I have no damn clue I cry_

 _ANYWAY I wrote a whole big bunch of shit about the different seas in this AU which_ _you can find here_ _: post/178950004506/atla-sea-meta (I'll probably keep referring to them later on so it's easier to understand what I'm talking about!)_

 _aswekrwek anyway I love you all pls comment they keep me alive in these oh so difficult times (can my assignments just... finish themselves please?)_


	5. This is how legends are made

_Summary: Katara is not one to trust easily, but, Zuko supposes desperate times call for desperate measures.  
(Or: Zuko and Katara have much needed a bonding moment)_

 _make me cry but they're probably there im so sorry heckk_

* * *

Aang, as it turns out is like a small excitable seal-turtle. Full of energy and a heart of gold, Zuko is overcome by the entirely unfamiliar urge to bundle him up in a blanket. He blinks the thought away, and looks back at the scene in front of him, Kazuo, a year older than Zuko, pressed into his side as they watch Aang train.

Kazuo's own Firebending training was cut short by his willingness to join Zuko on his 'trip' away from their country. With no known family or any long-lasting friendships to keep him there, nothing tied Kazuo to the Fire Nation.

Zuko's own Firebending is great, but due to his injury, there are still some basics he needs to polish up and plenty more that he wants to learn.

Waterbending and Firebending aren't overly compatible, but as he watches the Waterbending master and Aang going through the moves, he can see many Firebending moves buried within their movements. Like Iroh has said to him a thousand and one times, you should never pass up an opportunity to learn, and there are far more of those opportunities than people often realise.

Watching Waterbenders isn't something he would have ever imagined would be an opportunity to not only learn of his new comrades, but to also help in his bending, and yet here he is. There's much about Zuko's life that without seeing it happen first hand is entirely unbelievable, now he thinks about it.

Aside from that, Aang has only mastered one element, and as much as it's a stab in the guts in terms of winning the war, there's nothing anyone can do about it except teach him the other elements.

There are no Earthbenders here, but finding one in the Earth Kingdom shouldn't be too difficult, and more so, Zuko realises they have presented the Avatar his possibly one and only opportunity to learn Firebending.

They can't spend too long here however. Zuko has a mission to accomplish and the North Pole was merely a stopover to develop an alliance and to warn of the impending attack. But he supposes they'll have to stay as long as need be if it means teaching the Avatar, even if the Fire in his and his crew's blood detests the cold.

Aang sends a delighted glance over at Zuko and Kazuo as he finally manages a particularly difficult move and Zuko can't help but smile softly at the sheer joy written across his face.

Zuko's thoughts are interrupted as Katara slowly meanders her way over to them, her hair still mattered from her incredible fight with Pakku that had Zuko on the edge of his seat the entire time. Watching that fight had Zuko's respect for Katara skyrocketing. To so bravely stand up against such ingrained beliefs and _win_ is truly something Zuko can admire.

"Katara," he greets as she sits down to next to him, leaning back on the palms of her hands. Kazuo leans forward to give her a nod of recognition before leaning back against Zuko' side.

"Zuko, right?" she asks and she looks over to Kazuo, her gaze open and curious. "I didn't get your name…" she trails off, an embarrassed, pink hue dusting her cheeks.

Kazuo's own cheeks are suddenly pink as he sits up to face her directly. It's been so long since they've actually met another person around their age purely for the purpose of socialising, it's easy to forget one's manners.

"Kazuo," he says. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Katara."

She smiles back at him, Kazuo's soft voice disarming the entire situation, and Zuko never tires of watching his words work their magic.

Zuko turns his gaze back to Aang as Kazuo once again settles by his side. There's obviously something Katara wants to say. That much is obvious by her fidgeting and glances in their direction, but Zuko is prepared to wait for her wrap her head around the words.

It's not overly hard to guess what it will be about either - they are _Firebenders_ in the _Northern Water Tribe._ Suspicion and disbelief is a given.

Katara sighs after a few minutes of playing with her parka and clearly getting nowhere with clearing her mind.

"Do you really think the North is going to be attacked?" she asks. She doesn't look at either of them as she talks, instead, her gaze wonders to the architecture that decorates every inch of this incredible place that Zuko still finds himself in awe of.

Zuko thinks it's fair to worry. He's been to the South Pole, and if the North falls like the South, then the war might as well be over. And this is Katara's people, her culture. This is her world, and of _course_ she doesn't want to lose it.

"Yes," Zuko says, because even though Katara is younger than him, even though she has far less worldly experience, it's clear she needs the truth.

Her determination from her previous fight spoke for her enough.

"It's the next logical target in the Fire Nation's path to winning the war."

She nods, her face pulled into a frown as she goes back to playing with her parker before she takes another deep breath as though to steel herself.

"I need you to train Aang," she says, her voice so full of surety, Zuko is nearly taken back. "If an attack is imminent then he needs it now more than ever. I know tradition says the Avatar must learn one element at a time and learn them in order but _we don't have time,_ " she makes eye contact with Zuko, her gaze lingers on his scar for a little longer than necessary.

"I hate the Fire Nation," she continues. "But Chief Arnook seems to trust you, as does my brother. Plus, I've heard the rumours about you. We need to teach Aang Firebending, and you and your crew are the only options we have."

Zuko nods, sitting up a little straighter. "It would be our greatest pleasure. After all, what a better way to help further our cause than to train the Avatar."

"Katara," Kazuo says, leaning past Zuko, so he can see her. "We will win the war," he says. His voice doesn't change, and yet the determination dripping off every syllable is enough to leave Katara speechless and wide-eyed.

Zuko looks outwards to the ocean, fuelled by Kazuo's words. One corner of his mouth tilts upwards in a half smile. "I will not let the Fire Lord win, Katara. You aren't the only ones who have suffered, that is why we are here." Zuko gestures to the burn on his face and lets Katara figure out the rest.

Of course, he entirely understands her hatred. His people nearly wiped out the entirety of the South, and planning to wipe out the North, and murdered all the Air Nomads.

He doesn't want to bring up his scar at every other conversation, but he also wants Katara to know that they're on her side, they've been hurt too, and they're putting far more on the line to go against the Fire Nation than anyone else fighting this war.

If they weren't absolutely sure that this was the path they should take, they would not be here.

Katara presses her lips together, understanding the weight behind Zuko and Kazuo's words. "We have a common ground then," Katara says, a smile slowly forming on her lips.

"I think I can work with that."

Zuko grins back and somehow, a feeling in his gut tells him this is the start of something _great._

* * *

 _hsjkdhkfh this isn't as good as I would like but... oh well... it has been Done..._

 _ONCE AGAIN I had so many Things I wanted to say and now that I'm here it's all gone I am so sorry everyone omg_

 _(pls comment... need something to get through uni)_


	6. Son of Fire, Son of Earth

_Summary: When Kazuo met Zuko for the first time, his near constant train of thought came to a complete, unexpected stop.  
(A member of Zuko's crew gets a little bit of backstory)_

 _(sorry for any errors!)_

When Kazuo met Zuko for the first time, his near constant train of thought came to a complete, unexpected stop.

Zuko had been made infamous by rumours. The failure prince, the exile, the useless traitor prince.

Kazuo didn't understand the nature of the nobility, only that Zuko had done something to anger them enough that it landed him here - disgraced and scarred.

The next thing Kazuo noticed was the broken look of helplessness that Kazuo often saw in his own face. It was the image of someone who'd lost everything and knew there was no hope of ever getting it back, and Kazuo knew that feeling well.

He'd never met his mother. She killed herself when he was far too young to remember. He supposes the trauma in her life was too much for her to carry. That happened to soldiers sometimes, as though the battlefield followed them home, and haunted them until the day they died, finally at peace.

His father was an Earth Kingdom soldier.

Kazuo's coming into this world was not a wanted or a welcome one. He will never be sure if the relationship his mother had with his father was one of love, or if it was just a moment of release between a Fire Nation soldier and an Earth Kingdom soldier, desperate to distract themselves from the carnage of war that surrounded them.

He had no siblings, he did not know of anyone from his mother's side, and he doubts they would accept him anyway. They probably knew of Kazuo's origins. His skin is a little too dark, his hair a little too light to be accepted into a Fire Nation family. But he also knew that his golden eyes and his Firebending would forever keep him nailed to a country that wanted nothing more than to rid of him.

When Zuko looked at him, shame splayed across his face and written into his walk, he was reminded of himself.

Kazuo had jumped on the offer to leave, to go on a journey, to see where his father came from, to escape from the painful clutches of this life.

He had barely looked at who he would be travelling with, only that he'd need to bluff his way into learning the way of sailing and that surely, nothing could be worse than how his life had already been.

He's glad he never looked at who he'd be travelling with until the last minute, otherwise, he knows he would have thought about his prince far too much, and his thoughts would have taken on a mind of their own.

The first time Kazuo talks to Zuko - who's only a measly year younger than him - it's a stunted conversation that neither are sure how to start, and yet clearly with a lot on their minds.

"Prince Zuko," Kazuo starts eventually, leaning a little closer to Zuko's side from where they're both sitting on the bed but Zuko interrupts him, and Kazuo is confronted for the first time, up close with how utterly horrifying Zuko's scar is.

How utterly horrifying their so called perfect leader is.

"I am no prince," he says. The words are soft and full of pained resignation and Kazuo blinks, processing the words carefully before he nods. "If you are no prince, then we must come up with another title…" he trails off, letting himself ponder the options.

Zuko is so much like him, Kazuo can't help the feeling of sickness within his stomach.

How many of them must suffer for the beliefs of other people? How many more of them must have their wills destroyed to nothing but dust before someone finally puts a stop to it?

"Captain," Kazuo says. He scratches his nose, irritating flaking pieces of burnt skin from so many hours on the deck and it would seem Zuko is not faring any better.

They're both hurting and all because of the selfish actions of others and the disturbing beliefs of their nation, but they are no longer there now. Now they are on the open seas. Now, their nation can't hurt them.

Zuko looks at him, his good eye widening and Kazuo stands up, offering his hand out.

"Captain," he says again. "Would you care for a spar?"

Zuko doesn't smile, but he hardly thinks that matters as Zuko grasps his hand tightly, letting Kazuo pull him off the bed. "I would love to, Kazuo."

Kazuo grins for the first time in what feels like years, his dried lips cracking and it feels almost painful on his face from the sunburn, but for the first time, Kazuo is sure that this - whatever this is - is going to work out.

 _Yo so Ao3 user Jaffar_Toufan commented on my last story about wanting to know more about Kazuo and since I was only just managing to restrain myself from ranting about the crew I thought a little backstory would be nice!_

 _I know OCs can get annoying so I didn't want to bombard the main story too much, but if it's something you want let me know and I will accommodate!_

 _Also if you want to know about the rest of the crew let me know... I'm sure I can spin something up!_

 _As you can see from the origins of this part, comments fuel my soul!_


End file.
